5 Arenas of Pastoral Leadership

5 Arenas of Pastoral Leadership

For about a decade and a half of my life as a pastor, I spent a lot of time focusing on being a better church leader. I read books and articles about vision, about church growth methodologies, and about leadership in hopes that I could perform my way into success the...
Great Leadership is Always About Serving Other People

Great Leadership is Always About Serving Other People

The best book I’ve ever read on leadership is – and I’m not merely trying to sound spiritual – the Bible. Jesus was the greatest leader of all time, of course, but there are also many other examples of great leadership in Scripture. Joseph was...
The Best Leaders Are Broken Leaders

The Best Leaders Are Broken Leaders

I am broken. I lead a community of broken people called a church. And we often say, unapologetically, that we are a community of the broken who have good news for the broken. Don’t misunderstand. I don’t mean that we’re “broken” in the...
How to Make Next Year Your Best Year Ever

How to Make Next Year Your Best Year Ever

Think back with me to January One of this year. What were your resolutions? And if you don’t “do” resolutions, what were your intentions? What were your goals and dreams? And how have you done with them? There is a spiritual truth I learned long ago...
7 Spiritual Challenges for Imperfect Leaders

7 Spiritual Challenges for Imperfect Leaders

Recently, I had a phone call with a young leader convinced he was no longer qualified to lead because he’d messed up in a way that pretty much every man on the planet has messed up repeatedly. This morning, I received an email from a Pastor wanting to know if he...
5 Marks of a Mature Leader

5 Marks of a Mature Leader

Your body’s physical maturity typically peaks in early adulthood, but your spiritual maturity will keep growing even into eternity. If you serve in any leadership capacity for very long, you’re going to have to grow in maturity over time to be able to...
The Right Decision is Better Than a Quick Decision

The Right Decision is Better Than a Quick Decision

If you aspire to lead an organization with greater confidence, you’ve no doubt felt the pressure to be the bold decision maker – the one out front ready to charge into the fray. The problem is, sometimes we charge ahead, ignoring the pitfalls, traps, and...
Growth is Change, and Change Starts with the Leader

Growth is Change, and Change Starts with the Leader

Organizations that change, grow. Organizations that won’t change, won’t grow. That’s because growth is change. By its very definition, growth takes place when things change, and only when things change. Different organizations need to change in...
4 Passionate Desires of a Good Leader’s Heart

4 Passionate Desires of a Good Leader’s Heart

I completely agree with Ken Blanchard, author of Lead Like Jesus, that the greatest leader in all of history is Jesus. My faith convictions about him being the Son of God and Savior of the world aside, his organization should have died long ago if judged only in...
Great Leaders Are Great Listeners

Great Leaders Are Great Listeners

What qualities does a great leader possess? Talent? Charisma? Confidence? Typically, great leaders are smart. They’re good connectors. They’re good decision makers and, even more importantly, decision managers. In most of our thinking about great...